Unpopular opinion: My recent dive into vintage ads is changing how I see modern design.

Part of me loves the nostalgia, part worries it's just copying old styles, so where do you draw the line?

4 comments

4 Comments

west.casey28d agoMost Upvoted

I spent a whole weekend trying to redraw a 1950s cereal box ad last year. The trick for me was asking why they used that thick outline and three colors, which was often a cheap printing fix. Just copying the look made my version feel hollow. Wyatt134 has a point about everything being a remix, but you have to remix the problem it solved, not just the style. Otherwise you're just making a costume, not a new design.

wyatt1341mo ago

Honestly don't see the problem with copying old styles. Everything's a remix anyway, and if the old stuff worked better, why not just use it? Feels like overthinking to worry about drawing a line.

sarahb541mo ago

Take 1920s art deco buildings in New York. Copying it now misses why they used those shapes, like dealing with steel limits. It becomes decoration, not design.

ivans311mo ago

Okay, but when you say 'if the old stuff worked better,' that's where it gets tricky. I heard a talk once about how classic designs were answers to specific limits, like using local materials or dealing with no AC. Copying the look without those needs can make buildings feel fake, like a theme park. Plus, we have new problems now, like energy use, that old styles weren't made for. It's less about remixing and more about understanding why things were done before we reuse them.